Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Haruto withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and finally began cooking in earnest.

The first step was making the pastry.

He combined high-gluten and low-gluten flour in a precise ratio, then added room-temperature water, rendered pork lard, and a small amount of sugar.

Once everything had been mixed together, Haruto pressed both hands into the dough and repeatedly kneaded and slapped it against the cutting board.

Under his hands, the rough mass gradually became smooth and refined. Before long, its surface was almost glossy enough to reflect light, and when stretched, it formed an even, translucent membrane. Both the elasticity and extensibility of the gluten had been developed to their limits.

Haruto covered the finished dough with a damp cloth and set it aside to rest, allowing the tightened gluten to relax. Only then would the baked pastry develop distinct layers—crisp enough to flake apart in the mouth while still retaining enough structure to hold everything together.

While the dough rested, Haruto took out a specially made long, narrow kitchen knife.

He picked up a sardine and inserted the blade through its mouth, sliding it smoothly along the spine.

With Nen wrapped around the blade, Haruto removed the backbone, belly bones, and even the nearly invisible pin bones buried between the muscle fibers.

Throughout the entire process, the skin remained completely intact.

Even after being deboned, the sardine retained its original shape, its head still held upright.

Haruto placed the prepared sardines in a basin and marinated them with aged Huadiao wine, a few slices of ginger, and fine strips of dried tangerine peel.

The mellow aroma of the wine removed the sardines’ fishiness while adding a warm layer beneath their natural sweetness. It deepened the flavor without overwhelming the distinctive character of the fish itself.

The removed bones were crushed and transferred to a pot, where Haruto boiled them over high heat to make stock.

With the sardines dealt with, he moved on to the filling.

Fresh prawns were shelled, deveined, and cut into evenly sized pieces.

Rehydrated dried scallops were teased apart along their fibers by hand before being finely chopped.

From the fat, roe-filled mud crabs, Haruto removed the snowy white meat from the legs and diced it into small pieces.

The rich orange crab roe was set aside for later.

Haruto heated an iron wok and added a small amount of lard. Once hot, he tossed in some minced shallot and stir-fried it until fragrant, then added the prawns, scallops, and crabmeat.

Everything was tossed rapidly over high heat.

The intense temperature immediately drew out the seafood’s natural sweetness, filling the air with its aroma.

Haruto seasoned the mixture with a little light soy sauce and oyster sauce, then poured in the fresh stock made from the sardine bones.

He kept the heat high and reduced the liquid until the flavors of all the seafood had melded together.

By then, the dough had rested long enough.

Haruto rolled it into a thin sheet and folded it repeatedly to create layers.

Then he divided the dough into two portions, one slightly larger than the other, and rolled both into evenly thick circles.

The larger sheet went into the baking pan first.

Haruto spread the cooked seafood filling evenly across it, then arranged the marinated sardines upright within the filling, their heads held proudly aloft.

The smaller sheet of pastry was laid over the top, with each sardine’s head protruding through the crust.

Haruto carefully sealed the edges of the pie.

Finally, he brushed the entire surface with a layer of golden egg yolk and scattered a small amount of toasted white sesame over the top for extra fragrance.

Then the pie went into the oven he had already preheated.

As the oven door closed, the lard within the pastry slowly melted under the heat.

The crust began to expand layer by layer, while the fragrance of baked dough, rich fat, and the seafood filling gradually escaped into the courtyard.

By the time Haruto’s dish reached the baking stage, Xiang En was already putting the finishing touches on her own creation.

She spread the paper-thin coral trout slices evenly across the bottom of a wide white porcelain plate, then drizzled them with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice to awaken the fish’s purest freshness.

Next, she arranged the marinated golden sea urchin over the fish.

The perfectly steamed lobster flower was carefully placed on top.

Then she slowly poured the thick, milky-white seafood broth into the plate until it reached halfway up the fish slices.

Finally, Xiang En scattered a small amount of her specially prepared seasoning across the dish.

A brilliant light blossomed from the plate.

At the same moment, a powerful yet remarkably clean seafood fragrance rolled through the courtyard like an incoming tide.

"My dish is complete."

Xiang En smiled with the confidence of someone certain of victory.

"Jade Sea, Jeweled Blossom Seafood Banquet."

The finished dish resembled a naturally formed landscape painting.

The milky broth became a boundless sea.

The golden sea urchin formed islands rising from its surface.

The pale fish slices resembled surging whitecaps.

And in the center, the carved lobster bloomed like an exquisite flower upon the ocean.

Lord Xu was the first of the judges to rise from his seat and lean closer, his face filled with amazement.

"This dish is absolutely beautiful!"

"More than beautiful. That aroma alone makes it impossible to resist tasting it."

Lord Ma nodded repeatedly, chopsticks already in hand.

"Then why are we still waiting? Let’s try it."

Lord Zhao was equally impatient.

The three judges immediately began eating, picking up slices of fish and lobster and bringing them to their mouths.

The paper-thin coral trout released an extraordinary burst of clean freshness across their tongues.

A faint acidity from the lemon awakened their palates perfectly. There was not the slightest trace of fishiness, only the pure sweetness and tenderness of fresh fish.

Then their teeth reached the carved lobster meat.

It was firm and springy, its sweetness even more pronounced than the coral trout.

The steaming time had been controlled to absolute perfection—neither undercooked nor remotely tough.

Every bite offered that satisfying bounce of fresh lobster between the teeth, followed by such concentrated sweetness that it seemed to rush straight through their heads.

Before they could fully recover, the creamy sea urchin melted across their tongues.

It was as smooth as the finest custard, carrying the ocean’s distinctive briny savoriness and lingering sweetness.

Its richness enveloped the entire mouth and elevated the first two layers of seafood flavor even further.

Then came a sip of the thick, milky broth.

The concentrated essence extracted from fish bones, abalone, and dried scallops flowed warmly over the palate, binding all the previous flavors together.

Its deep savoriness lingered without end.

And beneath everything was the faintest hint of spice from Xiang En’s final seasoning, just enough to cut through the richness and keep the entire dish from becoming heavy.

Every layer of seafood flavor remained distinct, yet the whole composition came together seamlessly.

The three judges closed their eyes and said nothing for a long time.

For a moment, they seemed to be standing atop an endless blue sea.

A salty ocean breeze brushed across their faces while waves rolled beneath their feet, and every bite felt like the finest gift the sea had to offer.

At last, Lord Xu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Extraordinary..."

"This dish has awakened the purest flavor of seafood to its absolute limit! There isn’t a single unnecessary seasoning. Every bite contains nothing but the cleanest sweetness of the sea!"

"Is this the power of the Seven-Star Knives?"

Lord Ma nodded repeatedly, his chopsticks never stopping.

"To draw out the full potential of every seafood ingredient to this degree... it’s breathtaking."

Hearing such lavish praise from all three judges, Xiang En smiled.

The Jade Sea, Jeweled Blossom Seafood Banquet was one of the dishes she took the greatest pride in.

She turned her head slightly toward Haruto in the distance, her fingertips lightly brushing the handle of one of her knives.

She was curious.

Faced with a dish that pushed the natural flavor of seafood to its absolute limit, what exactly could Haruto possibly create with a basket of sardines?

Of course, no matter how delicious his dish might be, Xiang En knew there was no possibility of him winning this round.

The outcome had already been decided the moment the judges ate her food.

Haruto paid no attention whatsoever to her gaze.

Once he confirmed that the baking time was complete, he immediately pulled open the oven door.

A rush of scorching air burst out, carrying the rich aroma of flaky pastry mixed with the sweetness of seafood.

The three judges, still savoring Xiang En’s dish, all turned toward Haruto at the same time.

Under their expectant gazes, Haruto calmly removed the baking tray.

The pastry had baked to a brilliant golden brown, its surface carrying the warm caramelized sheen unique to freshly baked crust.

The edges had curled upward slightly.

The light, layered pastry trembled gently with the movement of the tray, and merely looking at it was enough to imagine how easily it would shatter into crisp flakes in the mouth.

Haruto picked up the crab roe he had reserved earlier and scattered the rich golden-orange roe evenly into the gaps across the crust.

The heat of the freshly baked pie immediately melted its oils.

A powerful wave of crab aroma exploded into the air.

At the same moment, the dish began to glow.

When the light finally faded, everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to the sardine heads protruding neatly through the pastry.

Every fish held its head high above the crust.

Their round eyes faced upward toward the sky, as though all of them were gazing together into the vast sea of stars overhead.

Haruto looked over the many sardines staring toward the heavens and nodded in satisfaction.

Then he removed the pie from the baking tray and cut it into portions, making sure each serving contained two or three sardines.

Haruto carried the plates over to the judges’ table and placed them before the three men.

"Stargazy Pie."

"Please enjoy."

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